Australia news LIVE: PM arrives in Queensland as cyclone looms; Zelensky regrets Oval Office clash with Trump

As Cyclone Alfred slowly but surely approaches the east coast, with an impact zone that absorbs south-east Queensland and northern NSW, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has travelled to Brisbane to offer his support.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to make landfall as a category 2 storm north of Brisbane late on Thursday or early Friday and would be the first tropical cyclone to impact NSW since Nancy in 1990.

With Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Emergency Management Minister Jenny McAllister already on the ground in Queensland, the federal government has activated its disaster response plan.

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While Chalmers insisted on Tuesday that the government is focused on the human impact, there will also likely be political consequences. A popular theory is that Albanese was planning to call an April 12 election imminently, likely this Sunday or Monday.

But cyclone recovery could require him to stay put in Queensland rather than return to Canberra to visit the Governor General and issue the election writs.

When asked about the possible delay, the PM played down questions on the cyclone’s impact on the timing of the poll

“We’re governing, and that’s what we’re doing … I know there are others (who) are interested in election timing. What I’m interested in is getting things done on behalf of the country,” the prime minister said.

With AAP